For those who don't know, one of the things I do as a hobby is travel to a different country at least once a year, and update my blog once a day like normal while over there. The stories I end up writing as a result are hard to define: like traditional travel books, they contain practical information on traveling in that country, and things to do while there; like Paul Theroux, they also contain essays on the economics, history, politics, society and culture of that country; like a young person's journal, they contain lots of stories about what I in particular did, which in many cases involve humorous and embarrassing anecdotes featuring sex, liquor, drugs and misunderstood translations; and like a full-length book, the entries can be read all at once at a later date, as a self-contained story that requires no other information to be understood.

How I pay for these annual trips is by publishing an actual book six months after the trip is over, containing not only the full text of the blog entries written while there but also many of the photos taken. Readers like you, then, prepurchase this book before the trip takes place, by donating money to me through Paypal; I then take that money to fund the trip itself, and mail everyone a copy of the book after it's completed the following year. I have yet to make a profit from such a project - but like I said, this is just a hobby for me anyway, and I'm completely satisfied when book prepurchases simply cover the costs of the trip itself.

I've done two trips now under such a plan: in 2003 I visited Germany for a month, posting reports from roughly a dozen cities; and in 2004 I went back to Germany for two weeks, specifically to the Frankfurt region for the majority of the time, with side trips to Cochem and the Dutch city of Amsterdam. This year's trip is to South Africa, and is scheduled to last for two weeks; I've set up second page where you can read about my itinerary, follow along with the planning process, and even help out with accomodations if you live in the country, while the page you're at now is for prepurchasing a copy of the South Africa book that will eventually be published about the trip. I accept all levels of online donations, from as little as you wish to send to as much; much like an arts organization, I also offer specialized benefits based on how much you've donated, detailed below. Anyone who donates any amount at all gets placed on a special "secret mailing list" for the trip; once a day during the trip itself, they will receive at least one story and one photograph via email that the general public will not see by reading along at the website for free. These stories cannot be found in the reprinted book, either! Anyone donating US$10 or more (approx. 8 euros, 5 pounds) will receive an electronic version of the tour book the following year. I publish seven versions of the electronic book, all of which you receive for your single donation: a full-color Acrobat version for reading on your computer screen; black-and-white versions for both American laserprinters (8 1/2 x 11 inches) and European (A4 format); versions for reading on Palm and PocketPC devices; even half-size versions for both American and European laserprinters, for those who want to take the extra step of compiling the pages into paperback form, and binding the spine. A $20 donation (approx. 15 euros, 10 pounds) gets you everything already mentioned, plus a bound paper version of the book as well. (Please be warned in advance that it takes me much longer to get the paper version published than the electronic ones.) Any donation over $20 comes with the promise of customizable benefits; past examples include me including your company's name on the back cover of my tour book, wearing a special t-shirt while making public appearances, mailing exclusive photos not found in the book, etc. To donate right now, you can click the icon seen below. For those without credit cards or checking accounts (or those who don't wish to use Paypal), I first recommend looking into purchasing an American Express giftcard; you can purchase one with cash at any American Express location (or buy one online with your credit card), which then gets physically mailed to me and allows me to use the money while on the trip as I would a traveler's cheque, but in convenient credit-card form. If you would rather not pay a transaction fee, though, old-skoolers can simply mail physical cash to me if they want; simply write to me at ilikejason at hotmail dot com to retrieve my mailing address. (Sorry, but I CANNOT ACCEPT personal checks.)